Experience Simon and Garfunkel in a performance from two brothers at ICC

Wednesday

Oct 19, 2016 at 11:02 AM

Thomas Bruch Journal Star entertainment reporter @thomasbruch

EAST PEORIA — For a little while, Jeb and Jock Guthrie were the Simon and Garfunkel tribute act that didn’t perform “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

“We got a hard time from people who expected us to be playing it,” Jock Guthrie said. “Fortunately, a lot of the piano riffs laid out pretty well on the guitar. So it turned out pretty well and people go nuts when we play it now.”

The two brothers will be at the Illinois Central College Performing Arts Center starting at 7:30 p.m. Friday for "Scarborough Fair: A Simon & Garfunkel Experience." Their lives have always consisted of musical collaboration, dating back as far as high school. The sonic forte of the Guthries tended to be vocals, and they gravitated toward music that focused on harmonies.

“We were often playing on the lighter side of music trends,” Jeb Guthrie said.

It’s not a surprise then that after years of covering other artists and creating their own music, the Guthrie brothers became infatuated with re-creating the musical stylings of Simon and Garfunkel. As Jeb Guthrie noted, most of the arrangements came from a lone guitar and the twin vocals of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel — something that suited the Guthrie brothers well.

"The Boxer" was the first Simon and Garfunkel cut that the two brothers performed, way back when they were doing covers from a variety of artists. It's hard for the two of them to pin down a favorite now — "There's no filler material from Simon and Garfunkel," Jeb said — but both listed "I Am a Rock" as a consistent highlight.

The music isn't the only part of the performance, either. As the show progresses, audience members get to know the Guthries through the banter of the two brothers, a few jokes and a little interaction with the audience. It's an aspect that naturally grew from their very first performances and one that they relish the most in each of these shows.

"There's a whole performance aspect that we never foresaw," Jock said.

Tickets to the show cost $20 or $10 for students, and can be purchased online at ArtsAtICC.com or by calling the box office at 694-5136.

Thomas Bruch can be reached at 686-3262 or tbruch@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasBruch.